Location: Underway to Devil's Island, French Guiana
To all the folks at home who have been wondering why our blogs have been delayed for a few days – we have just been having so much fun we haven’t had time to write them! Between an amazing island tour, a gorgeous early morning canoeing session, and diving/snorkeling with turtles and sharks, as well as a good amount of time to explore the island at our own pace, we’ve been very busy and have had such a good time!
Today started out very rainy again, and students were slow to roll out of their beds when I did wakeups at 7 am, but the promise of freshly made french toast eventually got them moving. We had a cozy breakfast down below in the salon, and it wasn’t long before the rain eased and the sun came out! After breakfast and cleanup, we started on passage prep. It is a long checklist of things that need to be checked, completed, and secured before we can get underway. Today’s passage prep was a little extra intense today, because we had a kedge anchor out behind our stern, and we had to pull in the mile-long (almost) line and bring the large aluminum anchor up into the dinghy to bring it back to Argo. Amanda Shuman and Claire had a great time on that task while I was pitching in with Tim in the galley making lunch. We had SO much guacamole made from local avocados! The fresh fruits and other produce have been a big treat for us. After lunch, we split into our NEW WATCH TEAMS! It’s always bittersweet when this happens, but usually, within a day or two, everyone is loving their new watch team just as much as their old watch team. The new teams are Watch Team 1: Peter, David, Gabe G, Brina, Nat, Will, and Elisabeth; Watch Team 2: MG, Nick, Elene, Beau, Audrey, Gabe D, and Zoe; Watch Team 3: Katie, Ellie, Emma, Max, Nolan, Tim. In our new watch team this afternoon, we went over the station bill, which is what specific tasks to do in the event of an emergency like a fire, man overboard, or abandon ship scenario.
By late afternoon, we were ready to go. We had SUCH a good time in Brazil, but we are excited for what is to come. We have about 8-10 days to get to Devil’s Island, which is a tiny island belonging to French Guiana. We will make a very quick stop there for just 1 or 2 nights. Then we will continue for about four more days to get to Barbados and officially enter the Caribbean! For now, we are getting back into the watch rotation, studying for the Oceanography exam tomorrow, and getting geared up to start the Open Water class so that everyone will be certified to dive soon after we arrive in Barbados.
We watched a beautiful sunset tonight after a hearty dinner of beef and soy stirfry with veggies. Our favorite song onboard is “Something in the Orange” by Zach Bryan, so we sang a few lines together as we watched the colors of the sky change. I asked a controversial squeeze question tonight, which was “Underrated/Overrated,” where people name at least one thing they feel is underrated, and another they feel is overrated. It usually sparks some debate and shocked faces; for example, someone said chocolate ice cream is overrated! To each their own, and I find the debates to be a great conversation topic while on watch. It is a clear evening, so we are hoping for a beautiful starry sky overnight.
Talk to you in about two weeks, everyone! We all miss our family and friends from home, but we are loving our time together on Argo. Full disclosure, I borrowed today’s photos from Will, so they came from his Day 36 blog day – thanks, Will!